DMNO: Unlikely Acquaintances
by The Powder Keg
Summary: This is the story of Dmitri Grey, Markus Greenleaf, Nova Violet, and Onyx Khaalida. Set two months after the events of Shimitani, this will follow a new set of characters. RWBY will be involved later in the story and DMNO will not have team shipping inside of it. Tension is sure when one is a faunus and another is a Grimm. Main idea of the story is by FloriteFlower. I just tell it.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright. The first half of this is really just introduction. The main point I have to get across is that I do not own the credit for this story. Every idea and OC character is given to FloriteFlower, and all the events are checked with her first. With that said, we hope you enjoy.**

 **Default Weapon Dust - A shining silver black. High impact. No element**

 **Air Dust - Color is a smoky white. Unstable and mainly used in propellant.**

 **Earth Dust - Deepest green with flecks of brown. Used in quakes and nature**

 **Water dust - Not much practical use other than as a blended catalyst for Ice**

 **Fire/Burn Dust - Deep vibrant red.**

 **Electric Dust - Light green.**

 **Ice Dust - Light blue. It is a mixture of**

 **Power Dust - Used as a raw fuel source and is unstable in weapons. Must have aura to control how it is used or it is a bomb.**

 **Gravity Dust - Purple. Incredible impact but a much more sizable recoil as well.**

 **Bone-Steel - Instead of using coals to forge, you use the bones of a Grimm that did not fall apart. Gives the metal odd properties.**

 **Dmitri Grey**

Dmitri Gray is a swan faunas that hides and rarely uses his wings. He cannot fly with them, but quick maneuvers and higher jumps are made possible with them. Almost anyone who has ever know Dmitri has labeled him a gentleman, but he is merciless in a fight, human or Grimm. His weapon is an sword that can shift into an axe, it is called Grimm-Feller. He wears a simple white shirts with black pants and leather boots. His pale complexion and dark brown eyes and black hair match his serious personality. He doesn't laugh or even smile often. He speaks with a thin British accent. The most notable weakness is his lack of aura control. His semblance obliterates anything in his path but it is raw and uncontrolled. He has had some formal education but has ultimately ended up running from his faunus hate when people learn his of his wings.

 **Mark Greenleaf**

Mark is a regular human. He has brown skin and deep green eyes to match his hair which is cut short. The clothes he wears is a dark green tunic with leather pants and boots. People tend to hang around him because he is friendly and easy to talk to. He cracks many a joke and is almost always smiling. His main problem and weakness is his emotions and bravery. He is sensitive and has been known to chose the run option more than fighting. This does not mean that he is incapable in a fight. His twin daggers with cord extensions pair well with his nature controlling semblance. His weapons Justice and Harmony can separate blade and hilt with a twelve foot reach on a tether that coils in the large hilt. he is from a small village outside of Vale. About six months ago he left to find his own path, training himself to be a free-lance Hunter.

 **Nova Violet**

Nova Violet is a human. She is very laid back in a fight and in her personality. She is somewhat lazy but is well versed in fighting. Her weapon is a metal pole-arm with seemingly random metal protrusions. When she triggers the transformation of Lightning Storm, it transforms into a bolt-action rifle. Her semblance is stunning shocks that can be amped up for more damage. She has vibrant purple hair with the same striking colored eyes to match. She has tanned skin from travels and a lightly tattered purple hood. She wears a purple and black combat shirt and leggings. Her shoes match the color scheme. She sometimes does not pay attention in a fight but can come up with plans on the fly. Hailing from Mistral, she traveled to Vale for college but dropped out in the first year after deciding it would take too long.

 **Onyx Khaalida**

Onyx Khaalida was a successful experiment after she was turned over by an orphanage in Haven. She was turned part Grimm after she was injected with their eldritchen ichor. It tainted her and darkened her, damaging her beyond most repair. She pulled through, with black skin, red eyes and red hair that reaches her lower back when not covered. She grew up in a housed in environment. Not seeing the light of day until a few years ago, and just recently allowed into the world on her own. her personality was changed, becoming more aggressive and easily triggered, not unlike a cornered animal. Her discovered semblance was temporary bone armor that increased in coverage with cost of aura. She dresses in a dark red dress cloak with yellow and black designs. her sleeves have red bands up and down them. Her red boots are well worn from long time ownership. She is deadly skilled with two bone-steel katanas called, Broken Bones. She mainly infuses these with fire dust in a tight situation. Rarely speaks but when she does, it is raspy and deep, but still recognizably feminine. Has been kind to a few people, her mentor, the people who taught her, and the one she came to know as her Father.

 **Dmitri meets Mark**

Mark was staring into his campfire comfortably, eating some of his rations. He was sat on a log in the middle of the woods. Night had fallen and he was about to unpack his bedroll when a dark and large figure appeared in the distance, slowly walking towards his little camp. He put on hand on Justice, the other one ready to control the roost of a nearby tree. His green eyes glowed dimly as he called out to the figure. "Hey man, what you doing all the way out here?" Mark asked. In the silhouette he could just make out that it waved to him. A deep voice boomed out as the figure strode closer, barely visible through the light of the shattered moon. "Hello to you. Mind if I share your fire?"

Mark was still apprehensive at the visitor, but force of habit and years of being a good friend took over. "Yeah, take a seat." The deep voiced man thanked him as he finally became illuminated by the fire. He rolled a log that was from the tree Mark had cut down for fire. He sat down, pulling a pack of his shoulders. He was wearing a white shirt with black pants and boots. His hair matched the boots and the brown of his eyes turned hazel in the fire. The mystery man pulled out a tea set and cooking stand, setting it on the edge of the fire after filling it with water. Mark could not hold his tongue. "So what brings you here stranger?"

"Stranger? Well, I suppose you don't know my name. I am Dmitri Grey, and I am just traveling. Who might you be?" He spoke calm and clear, even charming. Mark found himself comfortable talking with this Dmitri. "Markus Greenleaf, but I go by Mark." Dmitri nodded, checking his metal tea-pot. It was boiling. "What tea do you like?" Dmitri asked. Mark was still slightly stunned at the hospitality of this stranger. "Uh, Spruce pine needle." The man hummed in question. "Interesting, I will have to try this." He stood up, looking around for the right tree. Spruce was hard to find in this area, but there was some around the area. He picked a couple bunches and added it to the boiling water. Dmitiri sat back down, staring into the fire a moment before asking another question.

"This may be an odd question, and I don't mean to pry. What is your opinion on faunus?" Markus really had no reaction other than agreement. "That is an odd question. To tell you the truth though, I find them quite interesting to be around. They have been given a lot of hate recently for the White Fang turning renegade, but that isn't a civilian faunus's fault."

"Hmmm, would you call them inferior to humans, or equal?" Dmitri kept up his little quiz for as long as Mark felt comfortable answering. "Neither. They are superior. They have increased hearing, night vision, sense of smell. I once saw a lion faunus use three swords because of his tail. Tell me a human that can do that."

"You are quite right." He said, taking the teapot off to steep. "We are in agreement." Mark nodded, smiling. "Your turn. What makes you ask that particular question?"

"I... Know someone who is a faunus. Just asking out of experience." Dmitri was visibly uncomfortable answering and Mark held up his hands in surrender. "Hey man, no prying. Touchy subject, everyone has one." Dmitri smiled, something he rarely did. "Indeed we do." He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Mark who thanked him. They drank. "Just how I like it." Mark sighed contently.

"It is a pleasant taste." Dmitri said. Mark yawned aloud and grabbed his bedroll. "You seem like some good company alright. Sleep here for the night, better two than one." It was as nonchalant an invitation as he could manage. Dmitri was not used to such kindness, but was thankful for it. "Thank you."

* * *

Morning rose and before you know it, Mark was waking up, ready to start heading towards the next village. See-ran was it's name. It was a few days out, but he was starting to fall low on rations. He rubbed his eyes and looked up to see that Dmitri was already up. A contemplative look was on his face as he looked up to meet Mark's eyes. "If you have something you need to say, say it." Mark said.

"I... You are the first... You're the first good company I have met in a while. I was wanting to know if I could travel with you for a time." It seemed that Dmitri was uncomfortable asking, but Mark was always on board to make a new friend. "I'd be sad if you didn't." Mark smiled, packing up. Dmitri stood up. "Should we head out?"

"Let's"

 **Onyx meets Nova**

Onyx had decided to travel the world on her own path. She never had any goals or any reason to her direction. If she were to pass through a village for supplies she would keep herself a secret, a wisp of a person forgotten. She had once passed through a village that was being attacked. The Grimm in her fought against the human side for saving from or joining the Grimm attacking. Her human half one over, keeping the beast caged. Most of the Hunters in the village were badly wounded.

She came into the village and fought ferociously. Though she left after the last Grimm were cut down by her Broken Bones, she did not leave as the unknown fighter. Her extensive use of fire dust with her blades earned her the name 'Flame Slinger'. No one had time to thank her or reward her, she left immediately. Her own footsteps carried her around the continent of Sanus. She stayed out of the way of the big kingdoms, Vale and Vacuo.

She never thought about what she would do after she was done traveling on her little soul journey. Maybe she would settle down somewhere, a medicine woman in the woods. No, with what she was, she would be labeled a witch. She kept traveling in the midday sun on a trail. Never Onyx thought, would she have a friend. One person decided to pull her out of those mellow thoughts for no reason. "Hey! Where you heading to?"

Onyx raised a sleeved arm and pointed forward down the trail. The purple haired girl next to her did not seemed satisfied with that answer. "A location, maybe a name? Come on, you can't just give me 'that way'." Onyx shrugged, hoping the message was clear. It wasn't.

"Can you speak?" She asked. Onyx nodded with her face still hidden by the cloak. "Hmm, I'm Nova, Nova Violet." She put out her hand for a count of three before Onyx grasped it in a clean regulation shake. "Onyx Khaalida." She said with a slight rasp due to what was done to her. "If you won't tell me where you are going, I'll tell you. I am going to the nearest village, See-ran I think." Onyx nodded. This Nova was intriguing so she gave an answer.

"I did not tell you because I do not know where I am going. I just am." Nova gave her a strange look. "I'm not sure I could put the effort to just walk a direction. I need a goal to get moving."

"Is it not about the journey instead of the destination?" Nova laughed. "You got me there. So if you don't have a where, than how about a where?" Onyx was starting to get a little annoyed at the amount of questions this stranger had. "Why is it you are so curious? Do you not have something better to do?" It was a little harsher than she had meant and it shone on Nova's face. "You could have just said you don't want to tell me. And I'm asking because there is no one else traveling these trails."

Nova had a point. She should try to be a little friendlier. Not easy when you have Grimm in you. "I am traveling because I want to see the world." Nova smiled, happy at having pulled another answer out of this girl who obviously had a shell up around her. "I'm what you would call a 'free-lance huntress."

"Basically you did not want to take the time to go to a college and you just went out here." Nova frowned, it was pretty close to an insult. "I came out here to help anyone I could. I don't need to go to a college, I'm skilled enough." Onyx looked directly at Nova in a challenging way. "Are you now? Are you prepared to show that?"

This could be a bad situation for Nova, she was just now starting to notice the pair of katanas on Onyx's shoulder. She answered without thinking. "Yes." Onyx slowly raised an arm and pulled the katana from its resting place on her back. She held the blade in the direction of Nova. "Let's go." Nova gulped and pulled out Lightning Storm, keeping it in staff form. Ammo was a valuable resource that she would not waste in a spiteful spar.

Onyx came first, slashing her blade in an even diagonal motion. It clanged of the purple metal of the staff and she spun to deliver another. She was surprised to find that the target was not there and a heavy batting clanged into her back. She raised her katana and blocked the next strike from the staff. It became a sets of strength. Nova was nearing down on her with both hands on the staff while Onyx held it up with one. She was stronger, slowly pushing the staff up until she could slip around it and get a shot to prove her opponent wrong. Nova move fluidly out of the way, her staff in front of her in guard.

"See, not so shabby am I?" Onyx stayed silent, pulling out the second katana. The fight had just geared up. Nova steeled her resolve and prepared for the next attack. A small storm of slashes came at Nova now that Onyx was actually starting to try. Each one was blocked and Onyx was jarred backwards in the stomach to gain some distance. She swung the staff and it clanged off the Broken Bones with ease. Onyx stayed back, letting the offensive shift to the girl in purple.

Nova proved how good she was using the staff as she fluidly spun and struck in a chain, creating many hits that Onyx had to block. Onyx then pushed back the tide, striking twice as fast as before. She was good, but this was not her limit. Nova however did not expect the change and caught a few with her aura. Fun and games were over now, and Nova wanted this fight put to a stop. She activated her semblance, pushing a large amount of voltage through the metal of her staff an into Onyx.

The cloaked girl fell to her knees shivering from the shock.. Any normal fighter would have been on the ground shaking. Nova went to swing her staff and Onyx had just enough control over herself to focus a thin bone plate armor to appear on her shoulder, covered by her clothes. The staff smacked and hit, but it was jarring and hurt Nova's hand when it did. The armor fell to bone dust and Onyx began to rise back to her feet. Thinking fast, Nova transformed Lightning Storm into the rifle form, cocking the bolt action and aiming it at her opponents throat. "Checkmate."

Onyx looked down at the barrel, now understanding what all those odd protrusions were. "So it seems. While I may not have given my all, you have proven me wrong." Onyx returned her blades to the sheathes and started walking away in silence. Nova followed her but did not say anything. They walked through into the night and made camp. It seemed a silent agreement that they would spend the night in the same place. The purple hooded girl did not know what to say, but it was Onyx who surprisingly spoke up. "It is up to you, but are you going to continue traveling with me, or go your separate way?"

"You.. You wouldn't mind if I stayed." It was a small stun to see such a cold person ask if someone was going to stay. "No. It is always good to have someone to spar with. I like to stay in practice." Nova smiled. "Then it's a yes." Onyx pulled back her hood just enough that Nova could see when she flashed a thin smile. Then she laid by a tree and slept, leaving Nova to her own thoughts.

 **I hope you had a blast reading this. Tune in within a week for another chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. This one is longer, but much more actiony.**

 **Dmitri and Mark**

The two had been traveling for about half the day in general and comfortable silence. They hadn't needed to say much to each other and when they had, Mark had instigated it out of boredom. Another one of those times were coming up.

"Take no offense to this, but you look like you've been on the road for a while now. Exactly how long?" Dmitri wasn't the most comfortable about his past, but also saw no reason to make any large lies to Mark.

"A few years. I've been bouncing around with different company, never staying with them too long."

"Why wouldn't you? You keeping secrets?" Mark meant it good-naturedly, but it hit a little to close. Dmitri chuckled weakly. "Something like that."

"Everyone's got them. Hey, do you know how far it is to See-Ran exactly?" Mark was a very understanding person who didn't pry at people, letting them talk on their own time. Dmitri could appreciate that.

"Probably four days. We can make it two if we want." Mark looked at him strangely. "How do you propose that, because i don't feel like sprinting there?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just that you don't have to sleep every night." Mark pondered this for a moment before nodding. "Well, you're more seasoned than me i guess, but I'll try it. We should at least stop on the second night so that we aren't half conscious when we walk into town."

"That is a good idea." They kept walking, Dmitri really thinking about nothing. Mark on the other hand was thinking about traveling at night and realized the inevitability of running into Grimm. He didn't know Dmitri that well, so the question had to be asked.

"Say, if we are going to travel the night, I'd like to know if you'll be good backup. How good are you with that?" Mark pointed at the sword on Dmitri's side. He pulled it out and let and spun it in his hands, doing a test swipe in front of him using one hand. It was a typical claymore-sword but with a few exceptions. The blade was much thinner, both flat and edged sides. It also had some weird designs on the tip and down on side of the blade for a few inches. It didn't seem large enough to be of a claymore build, but that was just Mark's opinion. "I think I can manage."

"Well then, on the road we... continue to go."

 **Onyx and Nova**

Onyx had been walking silently for a few hours, only speaking to answer some of the questions that her new companion had. Some questions, specifically ones about her past, she either didn't answer or warped the truth on. Nova didn't have to know that Onyx was part Grimm. One of the handy things about that though was the fact that she could sense when other Grimm were near. It had something to do with them being a near kin to her. This ability decided to show it's face in the middle of the trail.

"Stop." Onyx said. Nova had no clue as to why and decided to voice her opinion. "What't the problem?"

"Shh. Listen." They both went completely silent and Nova could just barely hear the scuffle of claws through dirt. She switched Lightning Storm to rifle form but Onyx lowered it. "Too much noise. We don't want to draw more." The girl in purple was about to ask what to do when Onyx took a large leap into the lower branches of the trees. "I guess I'll just hide then."

Nova crouched down in some bushes and waited, the scuffling sound getting closer. A single Beowolf walked out into the trail ahead of them. She was about to take aim again when a hooded figure dropped out of the trees, silently severing it's head by flaying the neck with both katanas. "Well that's one way to do it." Nova started walking again down the trail, following Onyx.

"It would have been easier to shoot it you know." Nova said. "We didn't want to draw the whole pack, only the one that would be in our way." It was very true and she had no argument for it. Instead she looked down the trail for any interesting landmarks. "Do you have any clue how far the next village is?"

"See-Ran is just a few days out. You aren't getting tired are you?"

"No no. I was just curious."

 **Three days later.**

"Let's go for a rematch." Nova said as the two had finished. "This time though we shouldn't hold our semblances back." Onyx looked up at her from her pack. They were only a few hours out from the village, so it was as good a time as any. "Very well."

Onyx drew both her blades this time. The jump to two would no longer surprise Nova since they had already fought. She stood, letting the hooded girl have the first move. Nova started with a simple jab at Onyx's mid-section. It was parried up and she had to dodge a jab from one of the katanas. Onyx swiped the other one at Nova and she blocked it with Lightning Storm. She shoved the blade to the side with enough force to present an opening. Nova swung the staff down and Onyx rolled out of the way, coming up with a guarded stance.

"Why are you defensive this time?" She swung the staff with a slight charge. Onyx did not know this and when she blocked it the electricity jolted her arms. The staff kept going with only half of it's speed lost and slammed into her chest. "I was angry last time." It was still a call for a change in tactic so the katanas became blurs in her hands as she swiped in ways that conserved momentum and guard.

Onyx faked a stab and got a good hit on Nova's aura with a swipe. A good trick that would only work once or twice. Nova pulled her staff around sent a small storm of jabs. She took a few hits before dropping one of fer katanas and activating her semblance. Onyx's palm hardened with a shell of bone and she started catching the jabs with it.

The bone started breaking after only a few blows and when she caught Lightning Storm again, the shell fell away in white dust as she gripped the staff. With her weapon mobilized, was forced to catch the heavy slash. She held up her forearm and the katana drew a thin line of blood as it cut through her aura. It wasn't deep, but it was a sign that she was losing the fight.

A strong charge riddled up Onyx's arm from the staff she had still been gripping. With that arm limp from the shock, Nova sought to attack that side. Onyx pushed what little aura she could into the arm to create a shell. The staff made contact and she jumped forward. She stopped with the blade sideways, a mere inch away from Nova's throat. "I told you I was not giving it my best shot the last time."

"That makes two of us." Nova said. It was true. She could have put out much stronger shocks or even flat-out thrown a lightning bolt if she needed to. It was just more aura than she cared to use.

"Come, we still have half a day ahead of us." Onyx left without waiting for a response, knowing Nova would follow.

 **Dmitri and Mark,**

 **Not long after dusk.**

It wasn't really a mountain, but the two were pretty high up after traversing up the steady incline for an hour. The sun was setting and was barely over the horizon. In the four days they had been traveling together it had only become more apparent that Dmitri was hiding something. When he was asked for his reasons for traveling so much, it showed greatly. He had been dealing with it, but Mark would have to point it out directly soon.

"Not much further, it will be good to refill on supplies." Dmitri said.

"Yeah, I like reaching the new villages, it's like a milestone. And we'll have a place to sleep tonight." The top of the large hill was in sight and just before they reached it, Mark caught an odd and troubling scent. "Do you smell smoke?"

Dmitri focused and took deep breaths. "I do. It could be just another campfire."

"Yeah, maybe. We should be able to get a good lay of the land from up here." Mark picked up his pace to get to the top faster. A sickening feeling would not leave him and when he saw the village, he realized why. "It's not a campfire."

Dmitri ran up alongside him and caught gaze of See-Ran. There was an orange glow in the air from the few buildings that were on fire. Faint screams could be heard along with growls. A single Nevermore circled around. "We have to help them." Dmitri said. Without so much as a nod, Mark drew his daggers and began a sprint down the trail towards the village.

 **Onyx and Nova**

"I smell smoke." Onyx said out of the blue.

"We've been sleeping next to a campfire; _we_ smell like smoke." Onyx shook her head, though it was hard to see past the cloak. "No, this is different." Her sense for Grimm was faintly triggered.

"Different how?" A cry of a Nevermore pierced the nearly black sky. "That's how. Let's hurry." Onyx took off at the same time as Nova. They were both quite fast runners and had rounded the curve to See-Ran in mere minutes. There they saw the fire and heard the screams of defenseless villagers. A Grimm attack. Both of them drew their weapons, but Onyx didn't move forward. "What's wrong?"

Onyx reached into a pouch on her side, pulling out a small red dust crystal. It was unrefined aside from the chipping away of stone. She chipped one into a notch on each one of her Broken Bones. Red streaks outstretched a few inches from the gem. "Watch for crossfire."

She followed Nova into the village, ready to once again defy her Grimm half of joining the carnage. As they ran through the streets a few people yelled at them to go the other way until they saw the weapons. The villagers now had a hope with actual fighters coming to help.

The first Grimm to appear was a simple Beowolf. There were more near, but Nova didn't need to care about drawing them. They were already here. She shifted her staff into a rifle and fired off a single round. A bullet with a hollow tip filled with green dust blew off a chunk of the wolf's skull. It fell dead, but more came from the sound of gunshot.

Not wanting to waste ammo, she shifted Lightning Storm back into a staff and prepared to charge. Onyx beat her to it and started swinging her katana from a distance. Nova now knew why she was told to watch for crossfire. Whips of flame corded off from the blades, constricted into shape from aura siphoned off by the wielder.

These whips struck and coiled around two of the Beowolves and burned them to ash. She targeted the third one, but by that time she was close enough to simply lop its head off. "Come on, these aren't the only ones." Nova smiled and followed, hearing screams from inside a house after a roar.

 **Dmitri and Mark**

They made it down the hill in good time and were immediately thrust into a fight. An Ursa for each of them noticed the new souls. Dmitri went in ballistic, slicing at the body and any attacks it threw. Mark stayed back, waving his hands in a circular motion at his Grimm. The ground underneath it trembled before a cluster of brown roots came out like fingers, grasping onto the Ursa. It was strong but it could not break its bonds.

The roots started crushing in, breaking bones and plating alike. Immobilized and defenseless, Mark stabbed Harmony threw its skull. He looked to the side and saw that Dmitri had just run his bear threw the heart. He slung the blood off of his blade before swiveling his head to the side. A villager was running away from something and tripped. A Grunt came charging out from between the buildings. Neither of them would get there fast enough.

A single blade plunged itself into the Grimm's eye socket and it fell limp a few feet from the villager. The dagger was thrown by Mark and he ran to help the woman up. "Hide under a porch or something until the coast is clear."

"Yes, thank you." She ran off towards one of the houses to do as she was told. Mark picked up Justice and stopped, faintly hearing the report of a gunshot. "Hey, someone else is helping."

"Well let's hope they have that side covered, more Grimm are coming this way." Beowolves were starting to come from between the buildings. At least a dozen pairs of glowing eyes set their sights on Mark and Dmitri.

"Then let's put up a fight." Mark held his daggers like swords and charged the pack. The first to attack him had its neck flayed open. The second didn't get the chance for up close combat. Justice and Harmony's blades detached and severed the head due to the extra centrifugal force. Dmitri also decided to step up his fighting. Grimm-Feller's markings extended out from the tip like scales, taking the shape of a crude axe. With the weight shifted, the two handed function of the clay-more build was used.

He split the first skull he saw down the middle and lopped off the second wolfs head. He cut down two more before he saw Mark bind the rest of them by the ankles with roots. He swung his corded blades with ferocity that countered his friendly personality. His blades back to the hilt and picked off two more while Dmitri terminated the rest.

"Look's like you beat my score." Mark said. Dmitri smiled thinly but it was mostly forced due to the current situation. "Let's move forward."

"Yeah, sounds good." Mark followed him and advanced through the huts and houses. They passed an inn and another the same gunshot was heard again from inside. It seems the other fighter or fighters had it covered. The roar they heard earlier turned to a dying rasp and it confirmed that thought.

A clawed hand scraped by the edge of a house and the Alpha strode, looking for prey. It was more armored than the rest of its kin, taller too. It was actually large compared to other Alphas, and that meant he was older.

Most Alphas would have led the charge, but he was old enough to realize that an Alpha alive strengthened lesser wolves. And so the Grimm stood back until the slaughtering of his kin became apparent. Revenge wasn't a method for a Grimm, only destruction. Mark was the first target.

By the time Mark had seen it, the beast was already charging. He was forced to roll to the side, bringing up his weapons readily. Dmitri came up behind it and tried to surprise it, but Grimm-Feller pinged off one of the bone plates, barely chipping it. An arm swung back and clipped his shoulder, going through his aura slightly and bruising him. Mark summoned roots to hold the beast but it jumped to the side and lunged forward at Dmitri again.

This time he brought the axe up and blocked the first clawed strike, but the second scraped across his cheek. It was deflected by his aura, but a hit nonetheless. The Grimm was fast and without revealing his secret, Dmitri was too slow. A corded blade wrapped itself around the arm of the Alpha, digging into the flesh slightly. It tugged back for a second but was overpowered. Justice was wrenched from Mark's grip.

The attack got the Alpha's attention and it turned away from Dmitri. Without a proper defense, Mark was forced to avoid and weave around the wolfs attacks. He got one or two slices in before he was caught squarely in the ribs and thrown to the side. It didn't draw any blood; but he was dazed and had dropped his other dagger. The Alpha was going to advance until a stinging pain flared up its shoulder and it looked to see the axe buried a few inches into its hide.

With a snap it smacked the axe out of it's shoulder and the user's hand. Dmitri wasn't as fast as Mark and was in a bad position with no weapon. A clawed arm shot towards him and Dmitri already knew he couldn't avoid it, and that it would cause to much damage. With no choice left, he flexed muscles in his back that no human had. Two rips along the sides of his shirt released thin but strong white wings. He jumped backwards and out of reach thanks to them. With another dash he had picked up his weapon and was ready with a changed fighting style.

With its target suddenly becoming much faster, the Alpha turned and preformed another charge. This time Dmitri met it head on, swinging the axe into it's chest and crashing through the bone plate with the added momentum. He dashed again back and forth, opening gashes along the body of the Grimm. While the wings could not achieve Dmitri flight, he could jump higher than most of the rooftops in the village. Launching himself up, he gripped his axe and brought it down, splitting straight through bone place and chopping the beasts head off like a living guillotine.

Mark saw it all through steadily clearing vision. The fight lasted only a few seconds, but it answered most if not all of his questions. He picked up Harmony and walked to retrieve Justice. Dmitri looked to him, expecting the criticism. Mark though, had a smile on his face. "I only wish you would have told me sooner."

"You... Aren't upset?" Mark chuckled then stopped himself. "Nah, like I said, faunus are interesting." Dmitri was about to respond when the same gunshot rang out again and was followed by an angry screech. This time the muzzle flash was visible to Mark and Dmitri. In the middle of the street was a cloaked figure and a girl in purple, the latter of which was chambering a second bullet into a purple.

Even the highest caliber rounds wouldn't do much against the metal-like feathers that a mature Nevermore possessed. "Hey! You're just gonna piss it off." Mark yelled. Another shot fired off and rippled across the feathers with little damage. The cloaked figure turned and spoke with a rasped and deep feminine voice. "What do you suppose we do?" She then noticed the wings on Dmitri's back. She pointed at him. "Can that one fly?"

"I can get high enough. Why do you ask?" Another shot rang out and the cloaked figure grabbed the shoulder of the rifler, stopping her. "Get up there and draw that thing out of town. There we'll take it out." Dmitri nodded and turned to Mark, but he already understood. "Need a boost?"

"I do." Mark knelt on the ground with his hands cupped. Dmitri ran forward and jumped on his hands, getting boosted up several feet before acting with his wings. He managed to get about six stories up into the air before shifting to a steep glide. He had to use a chunk of his aura to strengthen his wings enough for the job. Next he set on getting the Nevermore's attention. Fortunately or not, it was already chasing him because he had entered its territory of the sky.

"Come on big bird. we're going this way." Dmitri whipped his wings once to gain speed enough to stay out of harms way. Within just a few moments they had cleared the rooftops around the edge of the village. The pair kept going until Dmitri was almost fallen to the ground. The white wings folded and he rolled to a stop, facing the Nevermore coming after him.

The large bird swooped upwards, unwilling to come to the ground. Its feathers spread and loosened. Dmitri saw this and took cover behind some trees as missile-like feathers peppered the area he had been standing in just a moment ago. He stepped out and pulled a small white dust crystal from his pocket. Air dust was hard to come by in a none fuel form.

Dmitri tossed the crystal into the air and sliced it down the middle, shattering it and releasing a directed gale force. The winds barreled in a column into the side of the Nevermore, disrupting its flight for just a moment. At the bottom of the hill was Mark and the two strangers. He had to distract the Grimm long enough for them to arrive.

He had no ranged weapons, preferring close-quarters to anything else. He kept smaller air crystals in his pocket in case he needed strong winds for extra glide distance. Dmitri retracted the axe blade part of his weapon, effectively making it a sword again. The only ranged weapons he had was the stuff around him, sticks, rocks, and dirt.

It was a test of time versus how aggressive the bird-Grimm was. Apparently it had its guard up because it did not attack for the two minutes that it took for them to reach his position. However the multiple targets were enough to use another volley on. A rain of razor feathers came down and most everyone managed to avoid it. Onyx was in the center of the group and was therefore dead in the middle of the attack.

Already she knew that she couldn't avoid the attack. She raised her aura around herself and pulled it in. In proper lighting and angle, you would have seen her black skin turn ashy and then white. The rain came down and micro-cracks appeared everywhere they hit and pinged off. It was over in a matter of moments, but a large percentage of her aura was used up.

Onyx raised her katanas and whipped three flurries of fire at the bird, but she didn't have the range. Mark would have asked if she was okay if not for the fact that Onyx was already attacking again. Instead he closed his eyes and vastly threw out his control sphere over nature. Roots and plants alike reacted, but Mark was looking for something else. A more powerful presence was sensed by him and he pulled like he would a root. The ground trembled and a chrysalis of brown and green dust stood in front of him.

He hacked off a piece and batted it towards the Nevermore. Like a missile, it left a trail of dust and slammed into it's side with a small explosion. It was angry, but didn't seem all that hurt. Mark kept lopping and lobbing while Nova contributed by charging them with lightning from her fingertips. Onyx whipped fire at the creature when it flew close enough. Mark however noticed Dmitri just staring at them.

"Come on man, it's all or nothing for this thing. What do you got?"

"I... might have something. Can you get me on the thing?" Mark quit chopping at the dust which was already practically used up. He released the cords on Justice and Harmony. "Grab the ends and watch the blades. Time to try something a little different. Now start running."

Dmitri had absolutely no idea what his friend was planning, but he took off at full speed with the tethers in hand. He reached the maximum distance of the cords and continued to hold on, held in by Mark. He was gaining speed. "Jump!"

Dmitri left the ground and was swung around like a rock on a stick. He kept gaining speed as he watched the strain on Mark's face. After about four rotations in which the angle of the spin was elapsing, Mark yelled at him. "Time to fly buddy!"Dmitri let go of the cords and careened towards the Nevermore. He extended his wings to gain distance and was able to cleanly slam into the side of the creature, hanging by his sword that was stabbed into the side of the Nevermore.

Dmitri's semblance may have been classified as a shield from the way he used it, but the truth was that it was raw aura and power. It was this power that in only a few seconds put Dmitri at his knees because of the drain it took and how uncontrolled it was. It was this power that he started to bring forth. "Is he... Glowing?" Nova asked.

"Yes. Yes he is." Mark said. Onyx silently watched, feeling the air of ballistic power course of of him. "Why didn't he do this before?" Nova asked. This time Onyx did answer. "He has no control over it. For him it is like turning on a reactor with no perception of the outcome."

"Oh." Was all mark had to say. Dmitri got brighter and the temperature around him increased. It was obviously hurting the Nevermore as it screeched and attempted to peck at its side while still flying. He tried to keep a grip on it, but it was like trying to cap the sun. It exploded out of his control and Dmitri went nuclear. The wing and side of the Nevermore were scorched to ash and the rest didn't fair much better. The corpse fell from the air and a fading glow dropped off of it before impact with the hill. "Dmitri!"

 **With Dmitri**

A small group of villagers were gathered around the faintly glowing body of the one who killed the Nevermore. Heat radiated off of him in waves, but it was diminishing. An older man with a branch-cane stepped forward, probably the village Hermit. Every village had one. "You alright there, son?" Dmitri was laying with his eyes closed and was breathing slowly. Upon hearing his voice, his breath hitched and became labored and Dmitri looked around wildly, obviously in some amount of pain. "Fine. Could you help me up?"

He old man reached down and grasped his hand before immediately recoiling. Dmitri's skin was still burning hot from his attack. The hermit reached his cane down and Dmitri grabbed onto that, noticing that once he was up and let go, his hand-print was scorched into the wood. "You're a regular fallen angel, aren't you?" Dmitri was suddenly very aware of the people around him and folded his wings back in. "Don't bother. We aren't one of those villages that outcast faunus. And after what you've done, you're welcome however." Dmitri looked uneasy for a second before he let his wings re-extend.

"Magnificent. They must be a rare trait among faunus." When Dmitri didn't answer, the old man went to shake his shoulder before remembering the burning of his skin. "Hey, you with us?"

"Just a... little low on aura." Dmitri's skin rapidly cooled before he collapsed to the ground. He was unconscious, but breathing evenly. After a cautious touch, the old man and two others picked him up and carried him to a bed. The rest of them showed up at the village and asked where he was. They were taken to the inn where a bed was prepared and he was laying there. Mark stayed in the room with him while Onyx and Nova shared a room to the side. They hadn't properly introduced each ther, but that would wait.

 **Longer than I wanted, but I just couldn't find a good stopping point. Let's hope everyone enjoys this. It's a long runner. And remember that FloriteFlower is writing the plot and that she owns it. You should check out anything she has on her profile as well.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Let's get right down to businesses. No one likes an author note.**

 **The Next Morning**

Dmitri opened his eyes to see a wooded ceiling with a small light that dimly cast shadows around the rest of the room. He was in a bed, lying flat on his back. he could hear snoring off to his left and could only assume it to be Mark. Holding back a yawn and a groan, Dmitri hefted himself into a sitting position. His entire body ached and he needed a stretch. After swinging his legs off the bed he did just that.

A few joints popped and Dmitri was afraid that it had awoken Mark. Once he was sure that his companion was still asleep, he took personal inventory. He was wearing, for lack of a better word, peasant garbs. A white, stitched up v-neck shirt and similar cotton black pants. He noted that Mark was also wearing similar clothes, thought his top was light green. The shirt had slits cut in the back for his wings; how kind of them. He was barefoot and without a weapon.

Dmitri swept his vision across the room for the familiar weight that was usually on his belt. Grimm-Feller rested by the door along with a note and Mark's daggers. The note was on yellowed paper and written with ink.

 _I apologize about the different clothes, we wanted to clean the old ones for you. In case you were wondering, the other pair are in the room beside you. The one in purple asked to meet both of you when you could._

 _-Eisenhower_

That answered that. Dmitri picked up his weapon, inspecting it. The blade was shined and the leather felt a little different. It had been cleaned and worked. He assumed Mark's blades were the same. The others from last night made their way into his thoughts. If the other two wanted to meet them, then all he had to do was wait for Mark to wake. He had probably stayed up most of the night; waiting for Dmitri to wake up. Mark was nice like that.

In order to pass time, Dmitri did some workouts, testing and finding that his body had recovered from his semblance at a faster rate than usual. Before it would leave his body weak and aching for days. He kept quiet, letting mark wake in his own time.

 **One Hour Later**

Dmitri had been meditating. He didn't often do this, but time was there to kill and it was enjoyable. He was seated in the middle of the floor in lotus position when a tap on his shoulder shocked him out of the state. "Hey man, good to see you're awake." Dmitri nodded and stood up. "We should probably go see where our clothes are."

"Sounds like a plan. Plus I'm starving." As Mark spoke, Dmitri noted his own hunger. He nodded and the two walked out into the hall. They were on the second floor and traveled down the stairs and into the main area of the Inn. A chunk was taken out of the wall and the edges were charred, but that seemed to be all the damage to this building. The old man from last night sat at a table, talking to a younger woman. She was the one that Mark had saved from the Grunt the night before.

"I'm sure I can make some medicine for- Oh, it seems our saviors have awakened." The old man waved to them. "Please, have a seat." The two made their way down the stairs. They had just gotten to the bottom when the woman rushed up and hugged Mark. "Thank you again for saving me."

Mark put on his best superhero joke voice. "It's what we do ma'am." It worked and she laughed, sitting back at the table. Dmitri and mark took a seat, both looking at the old man. Dmitri led the conversation. "So you're Eisenhower."

"As I live and breathe. It's good to finally meet you. You are?" He extended his hand across the table. Mark and Dmitri both shook. "I'm Dmitri, this is Mark."

"Pleasure to meet you both." Mark nodded and looked around. He noticed the charred hole in the corner of the building. "What happened to the fires?" Mark asked. It didn't seem to dampen Eisenhower's mood at all.

"Homeland protection. We just knocked off the burning bits before they could cause all that much damage. The Grimm you and them got rid of were the real problem." Dmitri remembered the hooded figure and the one in purple. "The other fighters, where are they now?"

"They're at the market, preparing to leave soon. Honestly I thought you were a team, considering how well you fought together." Mark agreed with him and stood up. "Come on Dmitri, let's go meet these people."

"Right." They were about to leave when Mark realized that they were still wearing the borrowed clothes. "Hey wait. Where'd you put our clothes?"

"You didn't look in the drawers did you? Check those." Dmitri silently cursed himself for not thinking about that. Eisenhower chuckled as Mark and Dmitri ran up to the room and quickly got dressed. Each of them felt better with the familiar weight of their weapons back on their being. With a content breath, Mark led them out of the Inn.

On the way to the market, a few villagers thanked them. They were appreciative, but Dmitri felt it was a bit much. Aside from the Nevermore, it was a fairly small attack. Mark seemed to like it though, putting a show on with waving. As they approached what must have been the market, a few men stood outside and where hacking at the roots that Mark had summoned.

It shocked them when they suddenly started retreating underground again. They looked over to see Mark with his hand out and green eyes glowing slightly. "Just saving you some time." They waved at him before walking away with their axes over their shoulders. With that done, Mark and Dmitri strolled through the market, looking for three things. Rations, dust, and the two from last night.

"I'll get the supplies, you find the other two." Dmitri told Mark. He strolled off without another word. It took a few minutes, but the hooded figure was standing at the food kiosk. She was handing over some lien coins when Mark flagged her down. "Hey, good fighting last night."

Normally Onyx would have just taken the compliment and moved on; but Nova had asked her to try and be nicer to strangers. "Quick thinking by flinging the winged one."

"You know, we wanted at least get your names. That way we could at least know you if we run into each other again. I'm Markus Greenleaf." He put out his hand and she shook it. "Onyx Khaalida. My partner Nova should be back soon. Your friend?"

"Dmitri's looking for dust. Let me buy some supplies and we'll go meet up with them." Onyx stepped to the side and waited while Mark purchased food from the vendor. The vendor cut the prices some because they had saved the town some. He was thanked for that. Together Mark and Onyx headed for the dust vendor to meet up with their friends.

 **Dmitri and Nova**

Dmitri had a few minutes of wandering under his belt before he found the dust vendor. It was especially obvious because of the flash of purple from last night standing there. Jogging over, the vendor greeted him. "How may I help you?"

"Do you happen to have air dust?" Dmitri asked. Nova looked up as she recognized his voice, but stayed silent while he traded. "Does it have to be refined?" The shopkeeper asked sheepishly. Dmitri shook his head. "Anything you have will be just fine." The vendor nodded as he handed Nova a box before looking through his wares. With a moment of silence acquired, Nova spoke to Dmitri.

"Cool thing you did with the Nevermore. What semblance was that?" She asked. Dmitri looked over to her. "One that I don't often use. It was a last resort." Nova nodded at his answer even though it didn't really answer he question. "I guess you can't really plan for that while having to fight with two strangers. Hey, I never got your name."

"Dmitri Gray. What's yours?" She smiled. "Nova Violet. I'm happy to meet you." Dmitri put out his hand and they shook. About this time is when the vendor found what was needed. "I've got a few fist-sized chunks. You want 'em cut?"

"No thank you. These will be good." Dmitri said and the man wrapped six chunks in a cloth before handing them to Dmitri. "Hey, if you don't mind me prying, I noticed you had a lack of ranged attacks last night. Take these." Dmitri was given a small coin bag. Inside was assorted colors of pointed dust prisms with metal ends. "What are they?"

"I heard they're like darts. Just way more powerful. On the house too." He said. Dmitri pocketed the bag and paid the man, secretly giving some for the darts. Dmitri turned around and walked off to find Mark and noticed that Nova followed him. Probably just going the same direction he was. They rounded a few corners while he looked for the dark-green of Mark's tunic.

"So were those stick things he gave you?" Nova asked. Dmitri thought about how they worked and settled for a guess. "Something along the lines of a dust, dart. I'll have to try on out before I know for sure."

"Oh. Hey, isn't that your partner over there?" Dmitri looked in the direction that Nova started pointing. Sure enough, Mark was standing next to the cloaked figure, seemingly having an argument.

"What do you mean I fight wrong? I'm great at it!" He said to Onyx. Not really used to be insulted, Mark was being a bit dramatic. With an even voice, she responded. "Almost all of your attacks were built on your semblance. You rely on it too much."

"Oh yeah... Well what about that stunt you pulled with the feathers. I don't know what you did, but it had to be fully done by your semblance." Onyx shook her head.

"That is different. I use my semblance when I _must._ You use it when you _want._ " She sneered at him, obviously tiring of the situation. Mark was about to retort when he caught Dmitri. "Hey man. Meet Onyx over here." He said. "And tell her that wanting and needing are one and the same."

Dmitri held up his hands. "You take this one." He said and Mark gawked at him. "You too? Alright. I want to use my semblance to fight. You _wanted_ to use it to save yourself." He said, losing faith in him winning the argument. Onyx easily countered him.

"I couldn't have lived without it. You used it extensively so make fights that you could have won even easier. You didn't need it." Onyx said with a smirk, knowing she had won. Mark stuttered a bit and pulled the 'topic change' card. "That sounded like a compliment. Seems like you're warming up to me."

Onyx shook her head with a light growl that made Mark back away a little. "In all seriousness though, the old guy back there told us that we all fought well together. I was thinking with a little more practice that we'd be able to end things like this faster. if you're up for it?"

Onyx was about to refuse, but Nova piped up. "Yeah. We did fight well together than night. I mean, that was an older Nevermore. Maybe you're on to something." She said. Mark asked his companion about it. "Hey, would you mind them traveling with us?" Dmitri sighed. "I'm... Really just following you. I suppose it wouldn't be a problem." He sounded a bit agitated about it, but Mark knew he would warm up to them.

"Hey Onyx. You with us?" Nova asked, excited to have new traveling companions. The cloaked figure answered back with a bit more sting in her voice than she meant. "Well I'm outvoted three-to-one now aren't I? Fine."

"Then it's settled. When do you want to head out Dmitri?" Mark asked. Nova and Onyx looked at him, the latter with her arms crossed. "I think we should take a look around the town, see if anything else needs tending to, then we'll take our leave. Good?" No one objected and they followed him through the town, offering to help some workers.

Dmitri and Onyx got put on for a while to knock of charred wood from the sides of buildings. Mark started moving planks of wood around for repairs. Nova, being the sniper she was shot nails into boards from distances to speed things up. Barely two hours had gone by and nearly every repair was done. The only injury was a bruise on Dmitri's head where Onyx knocked a blackened plank away and it fell on him.

The villagers of See-Ran thanked them and they said their farewells. Just as they were about to leave, Eisenhower caught them. "We thank you a lot for the the help. If you ever happen to pass through here again, you'll have a place to stay here." He said. Nova smiled and Onyx stayed silent.

"It's been a pleasure. I hope to see you again some day." Dmitri said. Mark nodded and waved at him. "Take care." Eisenhower nodded and turned away, walking back to the town. He had medicine to make for that woman's child. Dmitri, Mark, Nova, and Onyx left the town behind and continued on the trail. In the distance lied a small circle of low-lying mountains.

Snow covered the tops of them, but with the lack of clouds, no snow would really fall. Onyx had heard of a village lying in the center of them and that it was the only real checkpoint for many miles in either direction. Something about the place though gave Dmitri a bad feeling, and so his hand rested on Grimm-Feller. Mark took notice of this and asked him. He had come to trust the guy.

"Hey, everything alright?" He asked, green eyes with concern. His friends voice drew Dmitri out of his brooding thoughts. He took on last look at the horizon before answering. "Just a bad feeling. It's far off, but I'll take first watch tonight." Mark knew better than to argue with his friend, nor his senses. He simply nodded, but kept a closer eye on his surroundings.

Onyx didn't voice her thoughts, but had a similar feeling as when she was near Grimm. It wasn't a presence, but more like something was in those mountains. Only powerful Grimm left behind that kind of trail. She would have to ask the villagers what had been slayed recently. "There is a village in those mountains. Have you a clue of the name?" She asked. Her voice was more funneled forward by her hood, which was still unable to be seen under by any of the three others except for rare flashes of her mouth.

"Shimitani, I think. I know it's been there a lot longer than most places ever stand." Nova answered. He extensive knowledge on any random thing served her well in this moment. Dmitri had heard of long standing places, and they usually had a key trait about them. "Do you know why that is?" Nova looked back at him.

"Supposedly they have an overpowered leader." This caught Mark's attention. "How strong?" To this she let out a small chuckle. "Take a team of Ursa Majors and keep going strong." Mark was a little bewildered at the statement, but some were just that strong. Dmitri heard 'Ursa Major' and figured it was probably good that everyone was just speaking mind, and made his own comment.

"Ursa Majors, very hard creatures to deal with. Especially in high numbers." In front of him, Onyx shook her head, which barely ruffled the edges of her cloak. An edge of dark red, almost black hair peeked out. "They tend to get stunned when they attack with head-butts. Quite fragile skulls really." Something about the way she said 'fragile skulls' messed with Mark.

"Yeah, plus the spikes break off kinda easily." Nova said. Mark hummed a little tune, which meant his agreement. Dmitri was intrigued about how much Grimm knowledge Onyx had. "Know any other weaknesses?" She nodded, again barely nudging her cloak. "Beowolves have weak backs and Deathstalkers can't hit you if you are within three feet of the tail." Mark would have spit something out if he had been drinking.

"You fought a Deathstalker? When?" He asked. Onyx would've taken the tone of voice as mocking if she hadn't already labeled him the kind-hearted type. She was good at reading people, knowing what they would do was a good ability. "Just last week. Not long before I met Nova."

*gasp* "That explains the broken trees." Nova said, realizing some mystery she had been working around in her head. Onyx looked at her with her head cocked to the side, that little bit of red hair retreating. "I was making rounds. It's not surprising you came onto the area."

"I know, it's just something I never figured out." She defended herself. Onyx almost chuckled. It seemed the purple haired girl brought out her more human side. Id only Onyx could mention it. Saying you were part-Grimm was worse than faunus. Maybe someday.

 **Night**

Dmitri leaned against the trunk of a large oak, seated on a higher branch. As a bird faunus without the ability of flight, high places were calming to him. The wind increase of being about a hundred feat up didn't affect him even though Dmitri wore only a thin white shirt. He had taken to cutting slits in the back since everyone knew his secret already. He did leave a few without them though.

Up this high, the stars were brilliant and the moon sparkled. That bad feeling he had gotten at the edge of See-Ran still lingered, but where he was helped him focus. He realized that it was probably just a thickening of Grimm in the trails ahead of them all. Nothing they couldn't take.

Below him slept the rest of his traveling companions. He was tempted to call them a team, since that was how they fought. The three of them laid around a small fire, Mark on his side on a tarp. Nova was on her back with a deep brown blanket that didn't match her purple attire. Mark had offered his to her. Onyx was leaned against the trunk of a tree in a similar position to Dmitri himself, covered by that cloak of hers.

It was odd that she always wore it overhead. The past few days had been especially warm, and working in it couldn't have been comfortable. It must be an heirloom or something. It certainly was old enough for it, with the bottom slightly tattered.

Dmitri looked away from the sleeping and back to the horizon, and the mountain range. Sighing in content, her decided to let them sleep a little more and shorten their watches. He was not tired in the slightest, quite enjoying the fresh air.


End file.
